Director, Destination Development

Director, Destination Development

Journey with us! Combine your career goals and sense of adventure by joining our exciting team of employees. Royal Caribbean Group is pleased to offer a competitive compensation & benefits package, and excellent career development opportunities, each offering unique ways to explore the world.

About Us

Royal Caribbean Group is the world’s largest cruise line, having a record-breaking year and launching not one but TWO brand new ships in 2024, including a brand-new class of ship in Icon of the Seas! It couldn’t be a more exciting time to join a global business that is blazing a trail in the travel industry right now.

With our 3 brands Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises & Silversea we have ships in South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and several North American markets beyond our headquarters in Miami, FL. We cover the globe. No matter where our guests want to go, Royal Caribbean Group has a ship that can deliver a world-class vacation.

This influential leader is responsible for identifying, implementing, and executing strategic development projects and opportunities for EMEA and APAC regions in coordination with Destination Development [DD] and Royal Caribbean Group [RCG] Leadership. The candidate will be accountable for coordinating complex infrastructural projects and securing external approval of the development of projects on behalf of RCG, as well as internal RCG approvals. Strong written and verbal communication skills are crucial, as this individual will be tasked with (1) liaising with colleagues from multiple departments and among varying levels of management across the Company to track down key information needed to advance projects, (2) writing memos and preparing executive presentations summarizing information, and (3) leading presentations and negotiations with global corporate and country leaders.

About the role

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develop commercial and other business strategies to meet the strategic port development needs of RCG. The Director, in coordination with DD Leadership, will support the execution of commercial strategies by managing relationships with key internal and external stakeholders across the geographical region.
• Manage infrastructural projects along the phases, from pre-feasibility studies to definitive designs, including RFPs in different geographical areas.
• Interact with various internal and external stakeholders to gather critical information to drive projects to completion.
• Communicate the strategy and deal details to the various RCG stakeholders to ensure preparation, review and execution of various legal documents.
• Manage assets and implementation in existing JVs.
• Create and strengthen positive relationships with ports, destinations, government officials, and travel industry partners.
• Provide daily direction and focus while taking the steps necessary to increase market share, pier availability, new terminal capacity, and new business.
• Travel, meet, and engage key stakeholders within the destinations to listen, understand, and assist in addressing the existing challenges. Travel is expected up to 50% each month, depending on a project and business needs.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION

• BA/BS Minimum.
• English advanced level. Italian and Spanish are a plus.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience with an international cruise line, development of port infrastructure, development of other infrastructures in EMEA and APAC regions.
• Outstanding oral and written communication, consensus-building, and presentation skills.
• Strong organizational skills and an ability to work independently in a multi-cultural fast-paced environment with multiple projects and priorities.
• Ability to lead a team and influence individuals of varying levels of management.
• Task-oriented and reliable with an ability to report on status updates and anticipated timelines.
• A global thinker familiar with different countries and cultures is essential.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret financial reports, general business periodicals, contracts, legal documents, and technical reports.
• Existing network of contacts and established business relationships.
• Highly motivated and self-initiating.

FINANCIAL/QUANTITIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

The business development pipeline will total approximately $1B in port investment projects, including key homeports, key destinations, and private destinations. Potential partnerships and joint agreements may range around $100M-$300M per project.

INTERNAL/ EXTERNAL RELATIONSHIPS

• Local leadership & other regional offices
• Shared services regionally & Miami based
• Corporate finance and legal
• Marine, Supply chain, Government Relations, Port Operations, Guest Port Services
• Revenue Management
• Deployment Strategy and Deployment
• International government and port officials

Wide range of consultants: engineers, architects, legal firms, financial consultants, accountants, among others.

Come join the team - Journey with us, succeed with us, grow with us.

It is the policy of the Company to ensure equal employment and promotion opportunity to qualified candidates without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, sexuality, gender identity or expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Royal Caribbean Group and each of its subsidiaries prohibit and will not tolerate discrimination or harassment.